


Driving home for Christmas

by Dahlia_Rose_83



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Christmas Party, F/M, Future Fic, M/M, lots of other pairings, some of them a bit strange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-08 22:35:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5515769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dahlia_Rose_83/pseuds/Dahlia_Rose_83
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Damon and Alaric drive home to spend Christmas with their loved ones and look back on the last couple of years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Driving home for Christmas

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ElnaK](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElnaK/gifts), [RavensCAT](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavensCAT/gifts).



> So, this is the kinda-christmas-fic I promised. It's mostly an experiment, because I really wanted to write a future fic. This takes place about 15 years after my Story "Past Mistakes", so it's pretty AU. Quite a few dead characters are still alive and there will be a few rather ... well, let's say unusual pairings, I think.
> 
> And last but not least I dedicate this work to RavensCAT and ElnaK, because they are the only ones who always comment on my works and they really motivate me. Thanks for that.

Driving home for Christmas

 

A cold wind was blowing through the deserted streets of the little town, ripping off festive garlands here and there and tugging at the branches of the enormous Christmas tree in the town centre. Damon was looking out of the window critically. It hadn’t started snowing yet and he really hoped it would stay that way. They had a long drive ahead of them tomorrow, even without being hindered by snow-covered streets. But knowing their luck…

 

With a sigh he finally closed the curtains and went into the living-room, where Alaric was sitting on the floor, wrapping presents. He had left it to the last minute as usual. “I tell you every year to just let the nice people at the mall do the wrapping for us.” the dark-haired vampire grumbled. “And I tell you every year that I want to do it myself, because it’s more personal that way.” Alaric answered cheerfully. Damon rolled his eyes and fetched them drinks. He handed a glass to Ric before dropping down onto the couch. They had this discussion really every year. It had almost become a tradition now.

 

Somehow he still couldn’t believe that they would be spending their fifteenth Christmas together this year. Who would have thought they’d manage to last that long? He had to admit that he hadn’t been too sure and most of their friends hadn’t given them much of a chance either. But Alaric had always known that they belonged together. Had been completely sure of it, back in their second year…

 

 

FLASHBACK

 

_Damon crawled into bed next to Alaric and cuddled against him with a sigh. “I’m so glad we finally got rid of all of them.” Why the hell had they celebrated Christmas at the boarding house again this year? Why had Ric, Elena, Caroline and Stefan kept nagging him about it, until he’d agreed? Carol Lockwood had a big, empty house as well. And celebrating at the Lockwood mansion would spare her the drive home. She could just stagger into her bedroom and collapse. “Do you think Carol will make a habit of getting totally wasted at Christmas? One would think she’d learned from the hangover last year.” he mused._

 

“ _You were the one topping up her glass all the time.” Ric reminded him. “Didn’t mean she had to empty it within seconds.” the dark-haired vampire shot back, but continued with a shrug: “Well, it’s her head that’s gonna feel like its splitting tomorrow. Or do you really want to talk about Carol Lockwood all night?” Even as he was talking one of his hands found its way beneath Ric’s shirt, caressing the skin and clearly showing the teacher what he really had in mind._

 

“ _No. Actually there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.” Damon pulled his hand back and gave his boyfriend a worried look. Ric’s voice sounded dead serious and he had a strange look in his eyes. Damon didn’t like it at all. “Hey, don’t give me that scared look. I’m not planning on leaving you. Quite the opposite, actually.” the teacher assured, picking up on his insecurity. “It’s… well… You asked me something. A little over a year ago. And back then I didn’t have an answer for you.”_

 

_Suddenly he seemed nervous, which in turn spiked Damon’s nervousness. He had no idea what Ric was talking about and the teacher’s strange behavior was scaring him. What had he asked him? “I can give you an answer now. The answer is yes. Yes, I can love you forever. And if you still want, I will love you forever.“_

 

_The dark-haired vampire was acutally speechless for a moment. He could only stare at his boyfriend in shock. Now he remembered the question he had posed so hesitantly back then. The question he hadn’t dared to ask again, afraid to be shot down again. “You… that means… you want..” he stammered, uncharacteristically lost for words, making Ric smile. That soft, honest smile that was reserved only for Damon. “I want you to turn me, Damon. I want to become a vampire and spend eternity by your side.” the teacher declared, shaking his head and adding with a wry grin: “Fuck, that sounded a lot less mushy in my head.”_

 

_Damon’s heart was racing. He wanted it. There was nothing he wanted as much. But Ric had to be sure. Had to know what he was asking. “Are you really sure?” he prodded. Instead of answering, Alaric simply opened the drawer of the bedside table. Damon had noticed him hiding something in there earlier, but hadn’t thought much of it. Okay, so maybe he had thought it might be a sex-toy of some sort. Now the teacher pulled out a blood-bag and a small box. Putting the blood-bag aside for now he opened the box, revealing a heavy silver-ring with a dark-blue stone set in the middle. “I asked Bonnie to make this for me. So yes, I’m totally sure, Damon.” And if the daylight-ring wasn’t proof enough, the sincerity in his eyes would be. He really wanted this._

 

_Slowly a grin spread over Damon’s lips. “That means we’re doing it? Right now?” he checked. “No reason to wait any longer, right?” Alaric said with a shrug. “No. Unless there’s somehting you want to do one last time human. Any ideas?” the dark-haired vampire asked. “What – like goodbye-sex to my human existence? I think we did that this morning. We’ve waited long enough, don’t you think?” Damon could only nod. He had waited 150 years for this. For someone to chose him. Wordlessly he bit down on his wrist. Alaric didn’t hesitate. He never did. He swallowed Damon’s blood almost greedily and only pulled away when the wound had closed. His mouth was bloody and his eyes so dark they looked nearly black. Damon kissed him deeply, before pulling back and whispering: “Ready?” Ric took off the Gilber-ring, placed it on the bedside table. “Ready.”_

 

_The vampire acted quickly, before he had a chance to think about what he was going to do. Alaric’s neck snapped with a resounding crack and the teacher crumbled lifelessly into his arms. Damon’s heart was racing. The sight was terrifying. Gently he arranged Alaric on the bed, wrapped his arms around the too still body of his lover and waited._

 

_It felt like hours or even days had gone by when Alaric finally opened his eyes, gasping for air and struggling against Damon’s hold. The dark-haried vampire gently pushed him back down. “Shh.. easy. It’s okay.“ Ric was shaking, taking deep breaths, leaning against him heavily. “Wow, that’s… everything is… wow…” he mumbled. “Yeah, I know. You’ll get used to it in a second. I promise.”_

 

_Damon gave him a few minutes to get used to the new sharpened senses. When Ric’s heart-beat slowly returned to normal, he grabbed the blood-bag and ripped it open, before handing it to his boyfriend. “Slowly.” he instructed. Ric took a tentative sip, murmured in surprise and appreciation and emptied the whole bag. When he put it aside his lips were smeared with blood again. But this time Damon could see his fangs and the dark capillaries beneath his now black eyes. And he could see the uncertainty in those eyes, which wasn’t hard to interpret. Did he look like a monster now? Did Damon still love him like this?_

 

“ _That’s pretty much the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. You fully vamped out.” Damon assured. He traced the capillaries with a gentle finger and watched them receed as Ric’s features became human again. “What does it feel like?” he asked the new vampire. “It’s… unbelievable. I had no idea. You always told me everything’s heightened, but this… Even the light is different. I can hear your heart-beat, the wind outside and… Stefan and Elena are talking in Stefan’s room. It’s… awesome.” Ric whispered._

 

_Damon grinned and handed him his daylight-ring. “And that’s just the beginning. It will only get better.” he promised. As soons as the teacher had put the ring onto his finger he found himself flat on his back, with Damon holding him down, kissing him senseless._

 

 

As far as Damon could tell Ric had never regretted his decision. Of course it hadn’ t always been easy. They had fought quite a few times. Hell, they still fought often enough. Both had quite a temper after all. But they always made up quickly. Neither of them had a great track record when it came to relationships. Maybe that was the reason they worked out so well. Because they were better when they were together. They just fit – in every way.

 

“We should pack up the car before going to bed. There’ll be enough chaos tomorrow morning.” Alaric mused. “Yeah, good idea.” the dark-haired vampire agreed. Tomorrow they would drive to Mystic Falls to spend Christmas there with their family. These days they only saw Mystic Falls during the Christmas holidays and when sheriff Forbes needed their help battling some supernatural force. They had left the town 7 years ago, when they just hadn’t been able to hide the fact that they weren’t aging any longer. People had gotten suspicious and started asking questions.

 

So they had packed their things and traveled for a while, never staying in one place too long. Until they had spontaneously bought this house. They had both fallen in love with the old cottage and the small town on first sight. It was beautiful here. Idyllic and surprisingly peaceful. But Mystic Falls would always remain their home. It was the place where they had found each other again. Where their relationship had become what it was now and not to forget it was the home of a lot of the people they considered family.

 

Because of that the whole old gang gathered at the boarding house every year to spend Christmas together. It was great to see all of them at least once a year. Not all of the kids visited frequently. And not all of them even showed up to the Christmas party each year. “Do you think Stefan will be there this year?” Damon asked suddenly. His brother was probably the one who had missed the most parties. At least he came to visit Damon and Ric every few weeks. The Salvatore brothers had finally made up and were close again. “Well, last week he said he’d be there.” Alaric reminded, starting to pack the presents into bags.

 

“Yeah, he also threatened to bring her.” the dark-haired vampire grumbled. He really was happy that his baby brother had finally found love again. He wanted Stefan to be happy. But from all the women in the world, did it have to be her? Would he never learn? “I’m afraid we’ll have to get used to her. But you have to admit that he’s really happy with her. It’s been ages since I’ve seen him smiling like that.” the younger vampire reminded. “I want him to be happy. But at what cost?” Of course Damon knew exactly how long it had been since his brother had been nearly as happy. He had seen the drama unfold from a first-row perspective. And he hadn’t even meant to spy on Stefan and Elena. He had only wanted to get his car keys…

 

 

 

FLASHBACK

 

 

“ _I.. I’m so sorry, Stefan. I love you. I really do. You have to believe me. But… I’m almost 21 and you… you’ll be 17 forever. I know, I should have made this decision ages ago. I just… didn’t want to lose you. But I can’t ignore the truth any longer.” Elena sobbed. Damon stopped dead in his tracks at the entrance to the boarding house library. He knew that he was intruding on a very private moment here. But he didn’t dare to sneak off, too afraid they might notice him. So he ducked behind the door and waited._

 

“ _I’ve always known this moment would come.” Stefan whispered. He was clearly trying to sound calm, but Damon could hear the tremors in his voice. “I can’t do what Alaric did. I just can’t. I whish it would be different, but… I don’t want to be a vampire. I never wanted to become a vampire. I want to grow up and … and have kids one day and…” Elena choked on a sob, shrugged helplessly. Tears were running down her cheeks. “It’s okay. Really. I understand.“ the younger Salvatore assured bravely._

 

„ _I’m sorry.“ Elena sobbed again, before running off. Right past Damon, who she didn’t even notice. The dark-haired vampire left his hiding place hesitantly. Stefan was standing in the middle of the room, his head bowed, looking utterly lost. “I’m sorry.” the older Salvatore mumbled. “I always knew that she would chose to stay human. And I … I wanted her to make the decision for herself. But it still hurts.” his brother admitted quietly._

 

_Damon didn’t really know what to do. He wasn’t good at comforting people. That was Ric’s thing, but Ric wasn’t here. He was on his own. So he thought about what Ric would do and then approached his brother slowly. Still feeling unsure and self-conscious he pulled Stefan into a hug. For a second the younger one stiffened. He wasn’t used to Damon showing affection anymore. But then he sighed and clung to his brother. He didn’t make a sound, but Damon could feel the tears that were drenching his shirt._

 

 

 

Stefan had left Mystic Falls the next day and didn’t return for two years. For a while Damon had been scared the break-up might cause him to revert to ripper-mode again. But the younger one had kept his feelings in check and contended himself with brooding and writing in his diary. It had taken years for him to get over Elena.

 

“It’s late. Let’s pack up the car and go to bed.” Alaric urged, shaking him from his thoughts. “Okay. I’ll tell the kids.” Damon agreed. He went upstairs and knocked on a door, ignoring the loud music blaring behind it. “Ric wants to pack up the car. Get your stuff downstairs.” he ordered, before continuing to their bedroom and grabbing his and Ric’s bags. He was just carrying them outside, when the two teenagers joined him. “I’m sure I’ve forgotten something.” Anna insisted. “That’s what you say every year.“ Damon reminded her in an annoyed tone. “And like every other year I’m sure you packed too much.“ Jeremy added with a grin, wincing slightly when his girlfriend hit him.

 

Shortly after Stefan and Elena’s break-up, Jeremy had decided his future as well. To the great dismay of Elena and Jenna he had chosen an eternal life with Anna. They had tried everything to change his mind, but in the end they hadn’t been able to stop him from becoming a vampire. Anna was the love of his life and he hadn’t wanted to part from her. Damon could relate and had backed him up, drawing the wrath of Elena and Jenna upon himself in the process.

 

Mostly to ease their worries had Damon and Alaric finally agreed to let the two supernatural teenagers move in with them. Alaric was passing Jeremy off as his nephew and Anna as an orphan, who they had taken in. Jeremy was attending the local art school, while Anna had started studying music and was becoming quite impressive at playing the piano. Alaric was teaching history at the local college, while Damon had bought a bar right next to the campus. No-one around here knew that they were vampires. People thought they were a somewhat strange patchwork family, who never missed a party and was quite popular among the neighbors. Damon sometimes helped the mayor to organize a party and Alaric taught self-defense once a week at the youth center.

 

They had been living here for a little over two years now, enjoying the quiet life. And when it got too boring they followed the tipps Bonnie sent them and hunted down evil vampires. Sometimes Liz asked them for help as well. Mystic Falls had always been a magnet for the supernatural. Probably because of Elena, who proved time and time again that she was a danger magnet and whom every supernatural being seemed to be gunning for. It really was a wonder that she’s managed to survive this long.

 

Once the car was packed up Alaric sent the teenagers to bed, while he and Damon sat down in the living room to have another drink and make sure they had taken care of everything. “Maggie still has the spare key and is going to take care of the cats while we’re away. You bought enough cat food, right?” Alaric checked. “Yeah, we’re well stocked. And cat littler as well.“ the dark-haired vampire assured, rolling his eyes. Last year Anna had brought home three kittens. And then she had pouted until Alaric, who was prone to falling for that, gave in and agreed to keep them. Damon had protested loudly at first. What the hell did they need cats for? But now the black cat was following him around all the time and even slept in bed with him and Alaric most nights.

 

“Maggie is still compelled to overlook the blood-bags in the fridge and the other unusual stuff, right?” he asked. Maggie was their neighbor. A sweet old lady, who looked after the house when they were away and who insisted on giving Damon advice about cats all the time. “Yeah, she is. She was over for tea yesterday, while I was packing the stakes and stuff. She didn’t bat an eyelash.” Alaric let him know. Which also meant the weapons were packed. Because while they went to Mystic Falls for a Christmas party, one could never be careful enough. “Okay, I guess that’s everything then.” Damon decided. Alaric agreed and they went to bed as well. They had a long drive ahead of them after all.

 

****

 

The next day started as hectic as expected. Jeremy and Anna got up way too late and took ages in the bathroom. Still Alaric didn’t complain about that. He had spent quite some time in the bathroom as well, thanks to Damon slipping into the shower with him. Fifteen years and still they couldn’t get enough of each other. And he doubted that would ever change.

 

After a typical breakfast of coffee and blood-bags they finally made it into Ric’s SUV and drove off. Ten minutes later they were back, because Ric had forgotten to lock the front-door. Another five minutes later they had to double back again, so Jeremy could get his sketchpad. When they finally reached the highway it started snowing. Just great.

 

Lucky for them the snow eased up again pretty soon and there weren’t all that many cars around yet, so they made good time. Jeremy and Anna were dozing in the backseat, while Damon chose music and kept complaining that they would be much faster if he was driving. Alaric just ignored his protests. He had spent enough time on the road with his boyfriend. Like expected, Damon quieted soon enough. After staring out of the window for a while he risked a glanced at the backseat, where the kids were asleep now. Grinning he placed his hand on Ric’s thigh, slowly inching upwards.

 

But the teacher was used to that as well by now and it took a lot more to bother him. He simply grabbed Damon’s hand, interlacing their fingers. The dark-haired vampire called him a bore, but didn’t pull his hand away. Alaric shot back: “Exhibitionist.” and squeezed his hand, making them both grin. It was almost an endearment by now.

 

Around noon the two teenage vampires were finally fully awake. Unfortunately the traffic had picked up and there was a traffic jam every now and then. They took a break to refuel the car and get coffee, before continuing on their way. The snow was getting thicker, the closer they came to Mystic Falls, making Alaric grumble and slow down. “Next year we fly.” Damon decided with a scowl. “Not much better in this weather.“ Ric pointed out. Five years ago they had taken the plane. Heavy snowfall had forced them to land early and spend the night at the airport. Therefore they had traveled by car the last couple of years.

 

Despite the heavy snowfall they finally reached Mystic Falls by late afternoon. A smile crept to Alaric’s lips, as he took the familiar route to the boarding house. It felt good to be home again. Because no matter what, Mystic Falls would always be his home. It would always feel more like home than even Boston did. Here he had become the man he was now. Here Damon had turned him. Damon’s roots lay here and most of the people they considered family lived here.

 

He sighed in relief when they finally reached the boarding house and parked in the driveway. The house was already decorated. Obviously the others had prepared everything. He could also see light through a few of the windows, indicating that there was someone waiting for them. Usually the house was empty nowadays. Jenna and Elena came by to check on things every now and then and a cleaner was keeping everything in shape. Damon and Stefan hadn’t wanted anyone else to move in and most of their friends had their own houses anyway. Still there were quite a few people who had a spare key. Just in case.

 

They unpacked the trunk and Damon opened the door, ushering them inside, where they were greeted by warmth and the smell of freshly baked cookies. Christmas decorations lined the walls. Alaric had just put his bag down, when a blonde girl came barreling toward him. “Uncle Ric! Finally!” she screeched at the top of her voice. Ric grinned and pulled her into his arms. “Look at you, Mirry. You’ve grown so much.“ She pulled away and gave him a critical look. “Of course. I’m almost nine now.” she scolded him, making Damon chuckle. “I know, darling. I’d never forget my favorite girl’s birthday.“ Ric defended himself. “And from the looks of it you‘ll turn out even prettier than your mum, little Miss Lockwood.” the dark-haired vampire chimed in. The girl giggled and hugged him, before greeting Anna and Jeremy.

 

“Stop flirting with my daughter. She’s too young.” a familiar voice deadpanned from the doorway and Alaric turned to find Jenna standing there. The happiness of seeing his best friend was diminished somewhat by the fact that he noticed every year how she aged. She still was beautiful and looked a lot younger than her 45 years, but he knew all too well that he’d lose her one day. Shaking off that depressing thought he went over and hugged her. “We hadn’t expected you so soon, but Miranda couldn’t wait any longer. She wanted to be here when you arrived.” Jenna explained, greeting the other 3 vampires as well. “And now let them take their stuff upstairs, Miranda. You can bother them when they’re settled.” she admonished her daughter, who pouted in response. “You could come upstairs and help me unpack.” Anna offered, making the girl smile again.

 

Jenna shook her head in resignation while Miranda followed Anna and Jeremy up the stairs, telling them loudly what they had missed in Mystic Falls. The girl hadn’t been planned. Jenna had had enough trouble taking care of Elena and Jeremy. She had never seen herself as a mother and hadn’t wanted kids of her own. Neither had Mason, who didn’t want to pass the werewolf-curse on to his children. But when Jenna had suddenly found out that she was pregnant, there had never been any question about having the baby or not. Now they viewed their daughter as a wonderful gift, even if she was quite a handful.

 

“Are we the first to arrive?” Alaric wanted to know. “No, Tyler and the witches arrived yesterday. I guess you’ll see them tomorrow at the party.” Jenna told them. “So he’s dating his witch again, yeah? I keep losing track.” Damon chimed in. And it really was no wonder. Tyler and his girlfriend Liv fought as often as not and broke up frequently. But in the end they always made up again. They just couldn’t live without each other. They had met in college and Damon had stopped counting their break-ups. “They’ve been together again since February and so far it’s going well. Looks like a new record.” Jenna joked. “And Luke brought his new boyfriend. His name’s David and he’s really cute. He sells books and pendants and other stuff online. Don’t worry, he knows everything.“ she let the vampires know. No surprise here. Liv never went far without her twin-brother Luke and Luke never made a big secret of the fact that he was a warlock. At least where it concerned his rather numerous boyfriends.

 

“Great. Just what I wanted to hear. Too many witches are a party-killer, you know? Just like werewolves.” Damon told her somberly. Jenna only reminded him that his goddaugther was a potential werewolf as well. “Better not let Mirry kill anyone then. But on the other hand – you love dogs. You married one.” the dark-haired vampire shot back. “Sometimes I wonder how you put up with him. You’re a bit masochistic, aren’t you?” Jenna asked Ric, who only chuckled and insisted that it was all part of Damon’s charm. Then he grabbed his bag and steered his boyfriend upstairs, before he could start the all too familiar discussion with Jenna again.

 

They entered their old bedroom and unpacked their bags. Alaric could see Damon eying the bed thoughtfully, but he also heard voices downstairs, telling him that Elena had arrived to greet them. He suspected that Jenna had called her. “We have all night to get reacquainted with our bed.” he reminded his pouting boyfriend, who gave in and reluctantly followed him back downstairs.

 

Elena had her back turned to them and was talking to Jeremy. Alaric noticed that her hair was shorter than he remembered it and that she had gained quite a bit of weight. It had been strange, but in a good way, to see her growing up. She would always be the daughter he’d never have. Maybe even more so than Anna. Ric knew that Elena viewed him as her surrogate dad as well. He’d been so happy when she had asked him to lead her to the altar a couple of years ago.

 

The brunette had met Liam in college. He was a doctor like her. At first she had tried to matchmake him with Caroline, but then she had ended up dating him herself. Things had always been a bit difficult for them, since Liam knew nothing of the supernatural world and therefore had to be compelled quite a few times. Still they had gotten married. And divorced again not even two years later. Damon had been happy about the divorce. He’d never liked Liam and Alaric had to agree with him. The guy was just too damn arrogant for his own good.

 

When Elena finally turned around both vampires gaped at her in shock. “Fuck.” Damon whispered. “Thanks, Damon. I’m warning you. Be careful what you say. I’m feeling sensitive.“ Elena warned, placing a hand on her swollen belly. “Please tell me you didn’t start dating Dr. dickhead again.” the vampire shot back. “No, I haven’t. It’s not Liam’s baby.” she assured. Alaric had gotten over the inital shock and now gave her a careful hug. “Gratulations, Elena. I’m happy for you. How far are you?“

 

“Seven months. I didn’t want to tell you on the phone. And you can give me a normal hug, Ric. I won’t break.” she chided with a smile. “Sorry.“ he murmured sheepishly. “Do you know whether it’s a boy or a girl yet?“ Elena grinned, obviously happy about his interest in her condition. “It’s a boy.” she said proudly. “And who knocked you up?“ Damon asked, proving that he was as sensitive as a sledgehammer and earning himself a reproach from his boyfriend. “What? Just asking.” Ric shook his head and sighed when Damon added: “I hope he’s taking on responsibility. Or do I have to knock his teeth in?”

 

“Matt is the father. We’ve been dating again since new years eve. And don’t you dare hurt him, Damon. I’ll never talk to you again, I swear.” Elena threatened, but Damon just gave her a disgusted look. “Donovan? Your old highschool sweetheart. That’s so cliche.“ he drawled. Alaric was surprised as well. Elena shrugged sheepishly. “He’s always been an important part of my life. He was always there for me, no matter what. No matter how crazy my life got. Matt always stayed the same, wonderful guy I first fell in love with. He knows me like no-one else. And he knows all about the supernatural, so I don’t have to hide anything from him.” she tried to explain. “Hey, you don’t need to defend yourself. All that matters is that you’re happy.” Alaric assured. “I’m happy. Very happy.“ And that was plain to see. She was practically glowing. Damon only hoped she would accept Stefan’s new relationship as well. But he knew that it was a fools hope. Maybe he should warn her. Just in case.

 

***

 

The four vampire spent their evening with Jenna, Elena and Miranda, sitting on the couch, talking about the last few months. Elena told them about her work at the Mystic Falls hospital and about Matt, who was working as a deputy and might one day become sheriff. “But I don’t think Liz will quit her job all too soon. And Matt is happy working for her.” she let the vampires know. “And Carol is in the running for mayor yet again.” Jenna added. “Yeah, I figured she wouldn’t give up the job.” Damon commented. And why should she? People liked her and she knew what she was doing.

 

“I think the only way of getting her to quit would be for Mason to take over. And that will never happen.” Jenna mused. “Daddy said he’d stay clear of that circus.” Miranda chimed in. Mason Lockwood still wanted nothing to do with town politics. He still blatantly refused to join the founders council. Unlike Jenna, who had claimed a seat in the council a few years ago. “Why don’t you run for mayor? You’re a Lockwood now, too.” Damon asked the blonde. “No thanks. I don’t have that kind of ambition. Maybe Tyler will return one day to take over his parents legacy.” Since werewolves aged like normal people, Tyler wouldn’t have the same trouble the vampires had. But he had left Mystic Falls anyways and was now running a café with Liv and Luke.

 

After a while Jenna noticed that it was way past Miranda’s bedtime. Despite the girls protests she bundled her into the car and drove home. Elena left as well. Alaric and Damon left Anna and Jeremy in the library and went upstairs, to get reacquainted with their bed.

 

Later, when they were cuddled together in the darkness, Damon chuckled suddenly. “Elena and deputy Donovan. Who would have guessed?“ Ric shrugged. “Surprised me, too. But it fits, doesn’t it? And he’s better than Liam any day.“ The dark-haired vampire murmured in agreement. “Liam was a dick. I’ll never get what she saw in him. But her taste in men has always been off. She chose the wrong Salvatore after all.“ Damon’s former crush on Elena had long since stopped being an issue for them. Now it was more of a running gag, actually. Ric knew that Damon only loved him. Still he bit down hard on his boyfriend’s shoulder, drawing blood and growling: “She chose the only Salvatore she could have. You’ve always been mine.” The older vampire groaned. “I love it when you act all possessive. That’s so hot. But maybe you should remind me again that I’m yours…” Alaric happily complied.

 

***

 

Damon and Alaric slept quite long the next day and then spent about an hour in the bathtub together, before finally venturing downstairs around noon. Like expected Jenna, Elena and Mason were already bustling around in the kitchen. Damon had given up on telling them to just get a catering service ages ago. The three of them insisted on cooking themselves every year. At least they had gotten quite good at it over the years.

 

Mason poked his head out to say hi to the vampires, before disappearing back into the kitchen. Jeremy and Anna had taken Miranda outside to build a snowman, but Tyler and his mom had settled in the library with the witch-twins. Tyler and Liv greeted the vampires politely, while Luke introduced them to his new boyfriend. David turned out to be a dark-haired hottie in his late thirties, with warm brown eyes and a friendly smile. Alaric ended up talking to him and Luke, while Carol told Damon about running for mayor again. “I really didn’t want to do it again this time, but then I thought, why not? I’m only 54, so why shouldn’t I keep the job a little longer?” she reasoned, shrugging and casting a pointed glance in Tyler’s direction. Damon was pretty sure she wouldn’t give the job up willingly until her son finally relented and took over. He wished her good luck with that.

 

Slowly more guests were arriving. Matt was one of the first ones. Of course Damon had to needle him, but Matt took it in stride. He was practically sheriff Forbes right-hand man now and used to hearing childish remarks. At least that was what he told Alaric, when Damon asked if he had knocked up Elena on purpose or if he was just too stupid to roll on a condom.

 

Alaric felt that little stab of pain again when Liz Forbes entered. Even though he had to agree with Damon that she looked a lot younger than her 53 years, she was still older than when he’d first met her. She was accompanied by Sean, chief of the Mystic Falls firefighters, who had been her boyfriend for about 5 years now. Sean was tall and about Liz age, with reddish-blonde hair, broad shoulders and a contagious smile. He had accepted Liz vampire daughter and all of her supernatural friends with stoic ease. There was nothing that could make him lose his calm it seemed. Damon and Alaric liked him. He had a taste for good bourbon and knew surprisingly many dirty jokes.

 

Damon clapped him on the back and had barely turned away when Caroline pulled him into a hug. A couple of years ago he would have pushed her away with a snide comment. But now he hugged her back, asking quietly if she was okay. And he was glad to see the grin she gave him, when she said everything was great. Caroline Forbes had always been a ray of sunshine in his eyes. Happy, bubbly and ever optimistic. He had found out the hard way that she had a dark side as well.

 

The break-up with Tyler after graduating high school had thrown her more than they had all realized back then. Tyler, the supposed love of her life, who had broken her heart. Because instead of going to college with her like he had promised, he had run off to join a pack of werewolves in the Smokey Mountains. Caroline had seemingly taken it in stride. Had acted like she was okay, thrown herself head-first into college-life and jumped into a new relationship with a guy names Jesse. When Jesse had died a rather mysterious death her fassade had started to crack. And it had only gotten worse the year after that, when Tyler had come to Whitmore college and started his romantic roller coaster with Liv. Caroline had gotten distant. Had pushed everyone away.

 

Shortly after graduating she had followed the invitation of Klaus Mikkaelson and moved to New Orleans, making everyone panic. Because aside from the fact that Klaus was a mass-murdering psycho, he was also a danger to Elena. Thanks to a very complicated spell from Bonnie, the original believed that Elena had died in the ritual that had freed his werewolf-side and made him a hybrid. But the spell would only remain intact as long as Klaus believed the lie. If Caroline had let something slip and he’d found out the truth, he would have hunted Elena down and used her for his plans. The blood of the doppelganger was all he needed to create hybrids, and nobody wanted that.

 

At least that concern had proved unnecessary. Caroline had kept her mouth shut and Klaus, who had sort of made peace with his siblings and was now king of the vampires of New Orleans had forgotten all about Elena. Unfortunately his epic love for Caroline had turned out to be not so epic after all. After just a few weeks he had tired of her and the blonde had been cast aside more and more often, while Klaus bickered with his siblings and played ruler of the city.

 

Damon had only heard about it when Liz had called him one morning, sounding close to tears. Back then he and Ric had just left Mystic Falls a few weeks ago and were driving around aimlessly…

 

 

 

FLASHBACK

 

“ _I’m sorry to bother you, but… I’m worried. About Caroline.” Liz admitted with a sigh. Damon could practically hear the tiredness and worry in her voice. Could picture the bags under her eyes from not sleeping enough. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “I don’t know. That’s the problem. She’s not talking to me. She sounded… sort of defeated last time we spoke. Not at all like herself. But she insisted she’s fine and doesn’t want to come home. Not even for a few days. And also… at first she called every other day. At least three times a week. Or she sent me an e-mail. But now… it’s been almost four weeks, Damon. And not a word.” Liz sounded close to tears by now._

 

“ _She’s not answering her phone and she’s ignoring my e-mails. Same goes for Elena’s mails. I’m scared something bad has happened to her.” The dam broke and Damon heard a quiet sob. “Hey, don’t worry. We’re not that far from New Orleans. Ric and I are going to check this out, okay? I’m sure she’s fine.” the dark-haired vampire tried to comfort her. “Thank you, Damon. I hoped you would go looking for her. Please call me when you find her.” Liz asked. “I will. Don’t worry. We’ve got this.“_

 

_He hanged up and turned to his boyfriend, who was sitting next to him and had listenend in on the conversation. “Doesn’t sound like Caroline to ignore her mum.” he pointed out and Damon had to agree. It wasn’t like her at all. “If we start now we can reach New Orleans in about two days.” he mused. Alaric nodded. “What are we waiting for?”_

 

 

 

So they had driven to New Orleans. Finding Klaus hadn’t been hard. He lived in a pompous mansion, where he played king of the city. Unfortunately he hadn’t been happy to see them and it had only been thanks to his brother Elijah that they had made it out of there unscathed. Elijah hadn’t only protected them from his brother, but also helped them find Caroline. He had taken them to a young witch called Davina, who had used a locator spell. And he had warned them that Caroline had turned her emotions off. “I’m afraid, my brother forced her to do it. He might even have compelled her. I love Niklaus, but he’s always been… difficult.” he had said. So they had thanked him and taken their leave.

 

In the end they had tracked Caroline down in a small town near Alexandria. She had been busy folding a dead guy into a trash bin when they had entered the dark alley. Damon would never forget that moment. The calculating look she had given them or the hollow sound of her voice. “Could you give me a hand here? He’s not as bendy as he claimed to be.” she had snarled. And she hadn’t sounded like Caroline at all.

 

It had been a shock, but thanks to Elijah’s warning they had managed to knock her out with a vervain dart and bring her to the small cabin they had rented earlier. There they had spent about two weeks, trying to coax her feelings back to the surface. Finally the blonde had broken down in Damon’s arms, sobbing and appaled at herself for all that she had done. The people she had killed. It had taken her months to get over it and for a time Damon had feared the Caroline he had known might be gone forever.

 

It had also gotten increasingly difficult to keep lying to her mother, because Caroline hadn’t wanted Liz to see her like this. Had been afraid to disappoint her. So Damon had told Liz that Caroline was okay, but going through a difficult time and that she would call when she was ready. Liz had accepted it, but it hadn’t stopped her from calling and asking about her daughter every second day.

 

Caroline had spent the next few month travelling with Damon and Alaric. Although she had mostly sat in the backseat silently, staring off into space. Only a chance meeting with an old and supposedly dead friend of Damon had finally changed that. Caroline had been quickly charmed by Enzo, who had fallen in love with her at first sight. Thanks to him she had finally become her sweet and happy old self again. They had been a couple for almost six years now and were still madly in love. Caroline was working as a wedding planner, while Enzo was a retailer for classic old sports cars. Even Liz had accepted him, because he was good for her daughter.

 

“Hey, hands off my girl.” Damon heard his all too familiar voice now. He let go of Caroline, who went to hug Ric, while Damon greeted his old friend. “You can keep your girl. How many times do I have to tell you?” the Salvatore assured with a grin, hugging his friend. Enzo and Alaric greeted each other a lot less enthusiastically. They couldn’t stand each other. From the first second on they had developed a mutual dislike and they only tolerated each other because of Caroline and Damon.

 

Bonnie was the next to arrive, along with her boyfriend and her daughter Emily. Three year old Emily was instantly the centre of attention and Bonnie seemed glad for the break. After college the witch had traveled around, visiting different covens, learning new things and becoming even more powerful. For about six month she had joined the coven of Emily’s father Tristan. It had been love at first sight and for a while Bonnie had thought she had finally found her place in life.

 

But then Tristan had been diagnosed with cancer – an illness neither vampire blood nor witchcraft could cure. He had died about a month later and Bonnie had been devastated. Even more so when she had found out that she was pregnant. She had left the coven and returned to Mystic Falls, moved into her grams’ old house and taken on various jobs. One of those jobs was doing speeches at Whitmore college, where she had finally met Professor Atticus Shane, who had taken over her grams job as occult studies teacher.

 

The dark-haired professor was an expert of everything concerning witches and knew a lot of the supernatural world. That and the shared experience of losing the beloved partner (Shane’s wife, who had been a witch as well, had died in a car crash.) had brought them together. The age difference of 12 years didn’t matter. They were happy. Nowadays Bonnie wrote an online advice column about witchcraft and sometimes did speeches for Shane’s students.

 

Damon and Bonnie had actually become friends over the years, but the vampire didn’t like Atticus all that much. He called him professor creepy or witchipedia. Shane accepted the nicknames with a forced smile, while Bonnie shrugged it off, insisting that it was just Damon’s way of showing affection. She had long since accepted the fact that he only called her Bon-Bon. Alaric sometimes talked to Atticus about teaching, but he had to admit that he didn’t like him much either. But as long as Bonnie was happy and Shane was treating her right, his opinion didn’t matter.

 

The room had gotten pretty noisy by now. Damon was talking to Enzo, Alaric joked around with Liz and Sean and Caroline and Bonnie were whispering in a corner. Atticus was engrossed in a discussion about witch-rites with Luke and David, while Carol Lockwood was talking to Liv about her plans for new years eve. Jeremy and Anna had come back inside as well and were now sitting with Tyler and Matt. Miranda was playing with little Emily in front of the fireplace. For Damon Christmas always felt like a mixture of family gathering and class reunion.

 

When Elena finally left the kitchen to announce that dinner would be ready in ten minutes, the last two guests finally arrived. Damon greeted his brother with a hug and had to bite back an annoyed groan when he realized that Stefan had indeed brought his girlfriend. Though no-one seemed happy to see her. “Don’t I get a hug as well, Damon? I thought we’d left the past behind us. Or are you still in love with me?” the brunette pouted, before turning to Elena. Her smile turned a little softer and less predatory when she saw Elena’s belly. “Hello Elena. Looks like congratulations are in order. I thought you’d let the doppelganger-line die out.“

 

Elena put both hands over her belly protectively and forced a smile to her face. Damon was glad that he had warned her last night. “Katherine, how nice to see you.” she lied rather unconvincingly. Katherine laughed. “Oh no need to pretend. I can’t even imagine how hard it must be for you to see me. To be reminded of how old you look. And of course there’s the fact that I got Stefan back and you really only were a stand-in for me. That must hurt.”

 

“Katherine, please. You promised.” Stefan intervened, looking at Elena apologetically. Katherine murmured: “Sorry.”, but she didn’t look sorry at all. But before she could insult poor Elena further, Mason entered the library to tell everyone that dinner was ready. “Katherine.” he grumbled. “Mason.” Katherine had that strange glint in her eyes, but Stefan quickly stepped in and introduced her to the people she didn’t know yet. Damon gave his brother a warning look, before following Alaric to the dining room.

 

Dinner went better than anyone could have anticipated. Katherine managed to contain herself with a few nasty comments. Elena managed not to start crying and somehow everyone else managed to refrain from stabbing Katherine with the carving knife. Even if Mason had a hard time holding back. Damon could see him eyeing the knife more than once, his fingers twitching against his will.

 

Once dinner was finished everyone went back to the library for some mulled wine. Carol Lockwood had actually learned over the years and was pacing herself. Damon was a little sad about it. Carol’s drunken stunts had always been funny to watch. Finally they all relented to the pleading of the kids and gifts were exchanged. Of course Katherine didn’t get anything – except from Stefan – and was soon pouting in a corner.

 

“You could’ve gotten a little something for Katherine.” Stefan complained to his brother. “We didn’t throw her out and no-one broke her neck so far. That’s more than she could have hoped for. Besides, she only had a present for you as well.” Damon shot back. Before the younger Salvatore could protest any further, they were interrupted by Elena, who was hugging Damon, thanking him for the lovely new earrings. “Yeah, don’t mention it.” the dark-haired vampired mumbled, shoving her away. He hated it when she got so clingy and her pregnant belly gave him the creeps.

 

But to make matters worse Elena suddenly squealed and announced: “He’s kicking again. Here, feel.” She grabbed Damon’s hand and pressed it to her belly. The vampire stiffened. He could actually feel something moving inside her and that had to be the creepiest thing he’d ever experienced. He looked around in panic and was glad to see Alaric making his way over. Quickly he pulled his hand away, pulled his boyfriend closer and hid behind him. “Here, Ric. Feel Elena’s belly.”

 

Alaric obligingly put his hand onto her swollen belly and smiled. “He’s a strong little fella.” he commented, talking to Elena like everything was normal. Like there wasn’t something moving inside her. Damon used the chance to escape. Ric was good with pregnant women. He had gone through all that shit with Jenna. Feeling the belly, looking at the ultrasound images and assuring the mom to be that no, she didn’t look fat at all. Damon on the other hand found the whole thing totally scary. He had given Jenna a wide berth, especially when she had suddenly started crying over nothing. Luckily they would leave again after Christmas. That would make it easier to avoid Elena.

 

“Well, well… your adoration for Elena cooled off quickly. You were practically running away there. No wonder, really. She doesn’t look like me at all anymore.” Damon rolled his eyes, but had to agree with Katherine at least on one point. Elena didn’t look exactly like her anymore. There were still similarities, but Elena had grown up, while Katherine would always look like a girl. He didn’t mention that he usually found Elena more attractive. No need to aggravate Katherine even further. “I didn’t run away from Elena. I ran away from that… thing inside her.” he mumbled and Katherine snorted in amusement.

 

She didn’t seem so amused when Stefan put his hand on Elena’s belly with a goofy smile. “She looks like a whale. I wasn’t nearly as fat when I was nine months pregnant.” the brunette vampire snarked. “Careful, Katherine. One could get the impression you’re jealous.” The comment earned him a dark look. “Jealous of what? Her pitiful human existence? Her life will be over soon enough. And Stefan loves me. Only me. He always has. She was only a stand-in.“ Damon just nodded and walked away. He didn’t feel like bickering with his ex. Bad enough he’d have to endure her presence more often from now on. His brother just didn’t learn from mistakes.

 

It was close to midnight when Bonnie and Atticus decided to leave. Emily had been asleep on the couch for a few hours and didn’t even wake up when Atticus carried her to the car. Elena and Matt were the next to leave. The brunette hugged Damon, pressing her belly against him in the process, making him shudder. Slowly everyone else left as well. Jeremy and Anna went upstairs, so in the end only Damon, Alaric, Stefan and Katherine remained in the library.

 

“How long are you staying?” Damon asked his brother. “About two or three days, I guess. We want to go to New York afterwards. Spend new years eve there.“ the younger Salvatore let him know, before asking: “Why don’t you join us? We could celebrate together. Katherine got us tickets for the big party.” Damon glanced at Alaric, who only shrugged. They hadn’t made plans so far. “We’ll think about it, okay?“ he decided. “Okay. You don’t have to come with us straight away. You could follow us in a couple of days.“

 

“We might do that. First we need to discuss what to do with Anna and Jeremy. And now we’re off to bed, right Ric?“ Alaric agreed readily and they went upstairs, cuddling into bed together. “What do you think about spending new years in New York?” Damon asked. “Don’t know. Could be fun. Something different for a change. Don’t you think?“ They had spent the last two years rather quietly at home. “It would be nice celebrating with Stefan. But Katherine?” the dark-haired vampire pointed out. “I already told you, we’ll have to get used to her. Stefan adores her. And I think she really loves him, too. He’s happy. We should encourage him.“

 

“I hate admitting it, but I guess you’re right.“ Damon mumbled, coaxing a laugh out of his boyfriend. “Okay, how about this: We’ll take the kids home and take a plane to New York on the 30th. That way we can spend new years with Stefan and we won’t have to endure Katherine for so long. Oh and I think we should ask Maggie to check on the kids. Just in case.” Damon thought about it and nodded. “Yeah, sounds like a plan. I’ll book us a flight tomorrow.“

 

“Tomorrow morning. You know we’ve got quite a schedule tomorrow.” Ric reminded him. They would have lunch with Jenna, Miranda, Mason, Elena and Matt at the Gilbert/Donovan house, followed by coffee at Bonnie’s and a late dinner with Liz Forbes, Sean, Caroline and Enzo. “Fucking Christmas hectic.” Damon grumbled. “At least keep Elena away from me, okay?“

 

“What is your problem with pregnant women?“ Alaric asked with a grin. He hadn’t missed that his boyfriend always got a little panicky when he saw a pregnant woman. “I don’t have a problem with them. As long as they stay away from me and don’t force me to touch their belly. That’s just… unnatural.” Just thinking about it made him shudder and he frowned at Ric’s chuckle. “Bearing a child is the most natural thing in the world, Damon.“ the teacher chided. “Not for a vampire.” the older one pointed out and his boyfriend gave up.

 

“You’ll manage. We leave in two days.” Ric tried to console him half-heartedly. His boyfriend could be really weird sometimes. He had no problem facing werewolves, but he ran away from a pregnant woman. “Thank god. Means we won’t be here when it’s born.“ Damon got along okay with kids, but he hated newborns. They were too noisy. Miranda was a really cute little thing and so was Emily, now that she got older, but why did his friends feel the need for even more kids? “Elena will want us to come to the christening. And she won’t take no for an answer. You know that, right?” Alaric told him. “Hmm… but she doesn’t want us to be godparents as well, does she?” He still couldn’t understand why Jenna had chosen them and more importantly, why he’d agreed. “No, they decided on Caroline and Tyler.” A couple of years ago that would’ve been an impossible combination. But Barbie and little Lockwolf had made up and were even friends now.

 

“We should sleep. Tomorrow will be stressful.” Ric finally ended the discussion. And of course he was right. Christmas was always hectic and stressful. But still it was nice to come home once a year and see the old gang. Damon had been on his own for decades. It felt good to have a family again, no matter how crazy and exhausting they might be. And luckily he only saw most of them once or twice a year. Family was even better in small doses after all.

 


End file.
